The present invention relates to a new and distinct perennial variety of Vaccinium hybrid (Southern Highbush Blueberry), which has been given the variety denomination of ‘Ridley 1104’. Its market class is that of a fruiting plant. ‘Ridley 1104’ is intended for use as fresh fruit for shipping, customer pick and processing markets and as a home garden plant.
The new Vaccinium hybrid cultivar is a selection resulting from seedlings produced in a controlled breeding programme of Vaccinium at Lindendale, NSW, Australia in 2003 from the controlled pollination of seed parent ‘C97-390’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,642) and pollen parent ‘C97-41’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,757). The new cultivar was selected as a single plant within a population of plants resulting from this controlled pollination of Vaccinium hybrids in 2005 in a commercial field plantation environment at Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia. Selection criteria was a combination of strong plant growth vigor, low chilling requirement, early to medium season of flowering and fruiting, firm fruit suited to handling, sweet berries and small picking scar. The selection was subsequently evaluated for a number of years at the commercial farms at Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by cutting propagation since 2005 at Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia and has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.
The new variety can be compared to the seed parent ‘C97-390’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,642). In Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia the time of both flowering and fruit ripening of ‘Ridley 1104’ is classified as ‘early to medium’ whereas the time of flowering and fruit ripening of ‘C97-390’ is classified as ‘very early to early’. The berry diameter of ‘Ridley 1104’ is ‘medium to large’ whereas the berry diameter of ‘C97-390’ is ‘medium’. The new variety can also be compared to the pollen parent ‘C97-41’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,757). In Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia the time of flowering of ‘Ridley 1104’ is classified as ‘early to medium’ whereas the time of flowering of ‘C97-41’ is classified as ‘early’. The berry diameter of ‘Ridley 1104’ is ‘medium to large’ whereas the berry diameter of ‘C97-41’ is ‘medium’.
The new variety has been primarily compared to the variety ‘C99-42’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,695). In Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia the time of beginning of flowering of ‘Ridley 1104’ is classified as ‘early to medium’ whereas the time of beginning of flowering of time of ‘C99-42’ is classified as ‘very early to early’. The time of fruit ripening of ‘Ridley 1104’ is classified as ‘early to medium’ whereas the time of fruit ripening of ‘C99-42’ is classified as ‘early’. The leaf length of ‘Ridley 1104’ is ‘medium to long’ whereas the leaf length of ‘C99-42’ is ‘medium’. The leaf width of ‘Ridley 1104’ is ‘broad’ whereas the leaf width of ‘C99-42’ is ‘narrow to medium’. The berry diameter of ‘Ridley 1104’ is ‘medium to large’ (mean 16.2 mm) whereas the berry diameter of ‘C99-42’ is ‘medium’ (mean 15.5 mm). The berry sweetness of ‘Ridley 1104’ is ‘medium to high’ whereas ‘C99-42’ is ‘low to medium’. This combination of vegetative and fruiting attributes results in ‘Ridley 1104’ being a desirable variety for very early to medium season commercial production. See Table 1 for comparisons.
‘Ridley 1104’ can be compared to the variety ‘Star’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,675). The plant growth vigour of ‘Ridley 1104’ is ‘strong’ whereas the plant growth vigour of ‘Star’ is ‘medium’. The plant growth habit of ‘Ridley 1104’ is spreading whereas the plant growth habit of ‘Star’ is upright. The leaf length of ‘Ridley 1104’ is medium to long whereas the leaf length of ‘Star’ is medium. The leaf width of ‘Ridley 1104’ is broad whereas the leaf length of ‘Star’ is narrow. The berry diameter of ‘Ridley 1104’ is medium to large (mean 16.2 mm) whereas the berry diameter of ‘Star’ is large (mean 18.1 mm). The average berry weight of ‘Ridley 1104’ is 1.9 g whereas the average berry weight of ‘Star’ is 2.3 g. The berry calyx basin diameter of ‘Ridley 1104’ is small to medium (mean 5.5 mm) whereas the berry calyx basin diameter of ‘Star’ is large to very large (mean 8.8 mm). The berry calyx basin depth of ‘Ridley 1104’ is deep whereas the berry calyx basin depth of ‘Star’ is shallow. The berry sweetness of ‘Ridley 1104’ is ‘medium to high’ whereas ‘Star’ is ‘low to medium’.